Of SpaceX, HeavyMetal, and the OV-095

SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy test rocket with a special payload today. The payload was a Tesla Vehicle with a 'Starman' behind the wheel brought to reality by Elon Musk inspired by David Bowie. He's headed to cruise by Mars blaring "Life on Mars" in his topless Cherry-Red Roadster.  -Starman Live-Feed-

The launch was a success. The payload deployed perfectly. The plan included independent landings of the 3 sub-rockets...vertically and fully-automated. The 2 side rockets stuck a synchronized landing near the launch area..so perfectly it looked fake. The 1 center rocket didnt ignite 2 of the 3 rockets needed to land properly on the drone barge at sea. Rocket recovery is a mission bonus..not a measure of mission success. The main objective is the payload delivery to the target orbit.

The similarities to other previous events are rather striking...for instance..

The car and starman in space...as first envisioned in the 1981 movie 'Heavy Metal". -Video-

And the fully-autonomous return and landing of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy's individual sub-rockets. This process has a resemblance to NASA's solution to launch emergencies after liftoff that would prevent achieving orbit..a maneuver called an RTLS or "Return To Launch Site". An RTLS involved flipping the Space Shuttle in a pitch-over maneuver to coast with the large external tank still attached at a high speed backwards through its own fiery thrust plumb(s) to slow the orbiter enough to drop the tank then glide back and land safely. I did say 'backwards' through its own fiery exhaust.

This artist's image of an RTLS hung near NASA's OV-095 Space Shuttle...the only orbiter to have successfully completed RTLS maneuvers so many times. Yes..simulated..but for actual approval and inclusion into nearly every launch software datapack ready for emergency use during flights after the Challenger loss.

Images of the stages of a Space Shuttle RTLS. If it were ever completed successfully in reality...those Astronauts aboard the orbiter would experience the most incredible death-defying few minutes that would have ever occurred in aerospace history.

Today SpaceX gave us something huge...something showing us the advancements of our Humanity. SpaceX pushed the fringes and revealed the possibilities ready to carry us forward to our future in space.